Resolutions
by MiaMellark0PeetaHG
Summary: Katniss Everdeen thought nothing much would happen at her schools New Years Eve party, but when Peeta Mellark surprises her with a night she'll struggle to forget, she discovers the truth about the boy with the bread and her complicated feelings for him.
1. Chapter 1

"I'm not going." I say to my mother and sister, as they wave the stupid handout in my face. I made sure to toss it in the rubbish bin as soon as I got home from school, but somehow Prim found it. "Katniss, you have to go! It's your years last one." Prim says. "No it's not, there's one next year. But I won't be going to that either."

"But Katniss, you've never been to one. People will start to think that you've got social problems." My mother says.

"I do have social problems, which is why I'm not going. I don't want to waste my time standing in some silly dress, drinking punch and listening to crap music while the popular kids make out with each other, and us rejects stand by ourselves awkwardly, waiting for the party to end." I start to walk towards the stairs but am stopped by my mothers scolding voice.

"Katniss Everdeen, you are going to that New Years party whether you like it or not. You're going to dress up, go out and have fun for once in your life." I look at her with a pleading expression, but she just shakes her head at me. "I am your mother, you have to do as I say."

"But-" I start.

"No buts! End of conversation." She says, and with a frustrated gyration, I stomp upstairs to my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I don't want to go to this party. Every New Years Eve, each school year has a party to celebrate the promise and excitement that the New Year will bring. It's held in the town hall; a tall, marble interior building that juts out slightly from the justice building. The first years have their party on Monday evening, second years on Tuesday etc. and because I'm in the sixth year, our party is held tonight, Saturday night. New Year's Eve. I really don't want to go. I don't talk to anyone in my year, except Madge. But because she's the mayor's daughter she tends to go to official dinners and events on days like NYE. So I'll be alone and bored. Everyone already thinks I'm weird so what's the point in giving them an excuse to poke fun at me? On that thought, Prim comes bounding into the room, beaming from ear to ear.

"Katniss, come on, let's go look in mom's closet for your dress!" She grabs my hand and tries to drag me along, but I don't budge.

"Prim, I really don't want to go. Can you please convince mom to let me stay home? She'll listen to you." The smile from her face drops, and she lets my arm go loose.

"But...you've never been to one before. And you'd look so beautiful all dressed up."

"But I don't like dressing up. You know that."

The look on her face is so disappointed and genuinely upset that it breaks my heart. She shrugs and tries for a smile. "I know. I just...I wanted to see you dressed up, like a princess." She looks at me with her big blue eyes and I groan in exasperation. "Alright! Fine! I'll go." Prim jumps up and down and wraps her arms around me. "Yay, thank you Katniss! I can't wait to get you dressed up." She pulls me with her out of the room and down the hallway, towards mom's room.

"Did you ask her if we could go through her drawers?" I say as Prim starts taking fabrics out of the closet.

"Of course. She's the one who wanted you to go in the first place."

I sit down on the bed and run my hand down a silky soft blue blouse. All my mother's clothes are blue, white and beige, and Prim strewing the fabric everywhere creates a sea of soft pastel. My mother doesn't have many extravagant clothes, as we can't afford much. Mostly simple shirts and skirts. I wasn't expecting Prim to find anything suitable (I'm happy going to the party in my hunting jacket and a pair of black trousers) but when she pulls out a long red dress, my breath catches. "Oh my god Prim, is that moms?" She grins back at me, holding the dress up. "Yep. I found it in there a few months ago." She points at the closet. The dress is blood red and floor length, with a V shaped neck. It's simple, but beautiful. And it stands out like a sore thumb compared to my mom's other clothes. "Try it on Katniss." She says. "Put it on and I'll go get mom."

"Ok." I say, and wait till Prim skips out of the room to undress and slip the thin material over my head. The fabric feels so light and weightless compared to cheap, knobbly dense stuff that makes up 90% of our usual wardrobe. This is the first time I realise there is a slit in the side of the skirt, running from my mid thigh down to the bottom of the dress. At first I wonder if it has been ripped, but at closer examination I see that it is intentional. The stitches are seamless over that particular area. I hear a gasp behind me and look up to see my mother and Prim standing in the doorway, looking at me with admiration. I turn to the dusty cracked mirror and can well enough make out what they are seeing. The dress seems to add slight curves to my body that are otherwise scarce. I look tall and elegant, not small and rugged as per usual. "I don't even look like me." I say, touching my hip. "Oh my god, why did you get all the good looking genes." Prim says, making me and my mother laugh. "No way Prim. We both know that's not true."

"Your both stunning. And Katniss, you look amazing." My mother says.

"Where did you get this dress mom?" I ask.

A slight smile crosses her face as she conjures up some memories. "It was a wedding gift to me from mayor Undersee. One of my most treasured gifts, might I add." Speaking of the mayor reminds me, "I have to go see Madge to find out if she's going or not." My mom points to my feet. "And while your over there, borrow some shoes. You can't wear those old pumps of yours."

"But I was going to wear my hunting boots." This makes them laugh.

"No way are you wearing your hunting boots. They're muddy and worn. You've got to wear some nice black or red shoes." Prim says. It's funny how my mother and sister love fashion and clothes, when it comes to special occasions like this, whilst I cannot stand the subject and would be happy wearing a burlap sack. It shows I'm my father's daughter.

After my mother and prim wave me off on my way, I trudge through the slushy snow in my hunting boots, over to Madge's house. When I get there, a perfectly made up girl in a pink glittering dress greets me. "Hey Madge, you look lovely." I say. "Thanks Katniss, you too. Are you going to the New Year's Eve party at the town hall?"

"I am actually. I was just stopping by to ask you if you were going." I say.

Madge gives me big smile and opens the door wide. "Yeah I am! For the first time in forever I don't have to go to one of dad's boring official dinners." She says, ushering me inside. After shutting the door, she turns to me and studies my face.

"What?" I say feeling slightly self-conscious. "Come upstairs, we'll put some make up on you. Not that you need it...it's just that it'll match you're dress more." I follow her upstairs to her bedroom where she covers my face in blusher, shimmer, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow and lipstick. I've never worn make up before except lipstick once when I was younger, for my birthday. It feels odd, and heavy. But when I look at myself in the mirror I don't know how to feel. Unrecognisable isn't exactly true. I look different. More sharp and glamorous, and I guess more desirable. The final touch is a pair of small black suede open toed heels, which Madge literally throws at me when she sees the site of me in my hunting boots. I've never worn high heels before, but because the heel is only about two inches, I can just about walk in them. I take my boots with me just in case. There's an old carriage pulled by off duty mine workers that is taking students to the party for 20pence a person. Madge's father has a car, but as he's out at a dinner, we decide to take the carriage. After five or so minutes, Madge says "Someone told me that Wes Martin wanted to kiss me at midnight."

"Do you want to kiss him?"

She shrugs, "Maybe. I don't know." A minute or so passes. "What about you, will you kiss anyone at midnight?"

"No." I say shaking my head." Madge doesn't give up though. "No one you'd even consider?"

"No, I don't like anyone at school. Except you and Gale."

"I heard Peeta Mellark broke up with Anjelika Lawson." She says with a nudge. The name tugs on me, and I start for a moment, but I just sigh it off. "So? That doesn't affect me. You know what, I guess if someone wants to kiss me, which I highly doubt it; I will let them give me peck. On the cheek and that's-"

"No on the lips!" Madge interrupters. "Fine", I say, "a peck on the lips. That's all."

But I mean, I doubt that will ever happen, anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

The hall is covered in shiny gold and silver tinsel. It hangs from the roof, swirls around the marble podiums and even lines some of the floor. There are about thirty tables scattered around the room with faux flower centrepieces. Of course these are dusty and tattered, as they've been used for every school event in the past 30 years. I'm sure even my mother remembers them. In terms of decoration, this is about all the school can afford. In the left corner of the room, there is a small speaker that plays at a medium volume some popular tunes that they play on Capitol TV shows sometimes. I don't like it very much. Despite the unnecessary decoration and bizarre music, my whole year turned up. There are at least 200 people here already, and it's only 7.30. I kind of wish no one turned up so Madge and I could go home. But she seems quite excited, so I stay for her. We walk over, through the crowd, towards a table laden with bread, cake and a large bowl of punch. The food isn't anything special, and most of the bread is slightly stale, but it's better than nothing. The cakes are fabulously decorated, with fireworks and shimmering explosions to represent New Years celebrations. Madge and I pour us a bit of punch and sip it. When I take a gulp I spit it back out. "Is there alcohol in this?" I say. I see from the expression on Madge's face that she is thinking the same as me. "A better question would be is there any punch in this." We decide to share one cup and take small sips, wishing there weren't any spirits in it. As we drink, we look at our company. The boys are dressed in what looks the same to me as their reaping clothes. Some who have more money have a blazer thrown over their shoulders or a tie. The girl's dresses are pretty, but not as extravagant as Madge's and mine. Most are short or three quarter length, and patterned with things like bows, strips and polka dots. One group of girls that are surrounded by boys, that Madge says consists of Anjelika Lawson, March Lea and Hali Brighton (the most desirable and popular girls in our year), are dressed in floor length, slightly puffy tulle skirts with a Lacey top. One orange, one pink and one purple. Looking at their grimaces aimed in our direction, it's obvious that they thought their dresses would be the ones that stood out. This is when I notice that a lot of people are looking at Madge and I. They whisper about us as they stare, knowing we're too shy or socially awkward to say anything. "Everyone's surprised to see us here." Madge says to me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Wes Martin is in front of us, a crooked smile on his face. "I know I certainly am." He says. Madge and I look at each other for a second, and then back at Wes. There's a long pause of silence and I can see Madge struggling to find the words to say. So I decide to help her out a bit. "Well. I wasn't going to come. But Madge convinced me to."

"Well I'm glad you guys decided to come. Looking beautiful might I add." Wes says, directing his speech to Madge. She gives a nervous laugh. He moves slightly closer to her. "Say, it's very cramped over here. Would you like to move over to the dance floor with me?" He says, offering Madge his hand. She looks at me for a second with a big smile on her face, and then it drops. "Thanks Wes, but I came here with Katniss, and she's only here because of me. I'm going to stay with her." Wes looks slightly disappointed. "Oh, ok. Don't worry about-"

"No, Madge you go dance. I'm fine here, don't worry about me." I say. "But, I feel bad just leaving you." She says. "I don't mind. Really. Go, please I want you to." I give her a little push towards Wes. "Ok. But I'll be back in fifteen minutes max." She says, as Wes pulls her over to the dance floor. "Alright then." I say, knowing she won't be back for a lot longer than fifteen minutes.

I decide to move over to a table with a cake in my hand and sit there and eat. After about half an hour of this, I decide to leave. The party won't suffer without me, and Madge is too lost is Wes Martins big grey eyes to notice. I push past the mass of people and reach the door. Just as I'm about to push it open, a voice stops me. "Hey, did you like the cakes?" At first I don't know if it's directed at me or not, but then I see the cake is still in my hand, slightly crushed. I turn around and see Peeta Mellark, in a smart shirt, his slick hair slightly messy, standing a few feet away from me. "Yeah. They're good." I say.

"I iced that one." He says, pointing at the debris of a cake in my hand.

"Oh, well it's beautiful." I say.

"Thanks. Glad you like it." He says. A few seconds of silence follows. "You're not leaving are you? It only 8.45." He says, moving slightly closer to me. "I was actually. My mother said I have to be home by 9."

"Really? That seems a bit early for New Year's Eve." He says.

"I guess." I say.

"You look really nice." He says and gives me a smile that's so genuinely sweet I blush.

"Thanks, you too."

"Have we ever actually spoken before? I mean, I see you all the time at school, but I've never talked to you first hand." He says and he's right. We never have spoken. He saved my life a few years ago when he gave me that bread that fed my family and me for weeks, but that was a silent interaction. Silent and thoughtful. At school he seemed less thoughtful though. The way he was always surrounded by a swarm of girls and boys. He never looked at me or even attempted to notice I exist. But now, at this party, he finally seems to.

"No, I don't remember talking to you." I say looking down at the cake. "You know, I really should get-"

"That's a beautiful dress. I've got quite a taser for it." He interrupts.

"Thanks. You don't have a taste for Anjelika's?" As soon it comes out of my mouth, I feel stupid and regret saying it. He just laughs it off, thankfully. "It's alright, if your into that sort of thing."

"I thought you were into that sort of thing."

"No. Not anymore. Too crazy and self centered for me." Now I know he's not talking about the dress.

"Why don't you come over and sit with me and my friends?" I look out the door and see the glint of the moon rising. I so badly wish I were in the woods right now. I could turn him down and head over there, but I guess it's too dangerous with the wild dogs and who knows what else.

"Um..." I start but he reassure me by saying, "don't worry, they don't bite."

He's wrong though. "Who is she?" Scowls Anjelika. She's not happy to see Peeta with a girl that isn't her. "Shut up Anjelika you know who she is."

Anjelika tosses her hair back and puts her arm on her hip. "If I knew who this was, I wouldn't have asked now would I have? Idiot." She turns to me with a disgusted look on her face. She's a very pretty girl, with brown curls and icy blue eyes but her facial expressions make her as desirable as mud. "Well?"

"I'm Katniss Everdeen." I say.

"Whoa, we didn't ask for your last name as well. What is this a tribute interview?" Hali says, making everyone laugh. I feel slightly defensive. "Well, you said you didn't know me. So I told you who I was." This time, one of the boys speaks up. I recognize him as Karlton. "You're that quiet chic that hunts." I nod.

"Yeah, I guess."

"She's the best hunter in town, in my opinion." Say Peeta. Anjelika and her friends don't seem too thrilled with this, or with my being here. "Whatever. Do you even go here? I've never seen you at school."

"Of course I do. Why would I come to this otherwise?" I say. The three girls just roll their eyes. Karlton walks over to me and pats my shoulder. "Don't worry Katniss. I know you. And by the way, you look hot tonight."

"Shut up Karlton." March says. At this, Peeta jumps to my defense. "Okay, why don't we all just lay of Katniss alright?"

That seems to snap some kind trigger in Anjelika's head and she closes in on Peeta.

"Oh my god. Why are you being so protective of her? She's not even that pretty. You could have at least chosen someone better than me to make me jealous, rather than the first desperate girl you find. And good luck with that by the way, because you'll never find anyone better than me." Peeta puts his hand up in front of him to ward her off, and I say, "We get it, you're in love with yourself but. Just stop being such a selfish bitch," which makes her slam her fist down on the table.

"Whoa! Calm down. You're crazy Anjelika. This is why I broke up with YOU. And you're practically the opposite of irreplaceable by the way." He says. He takes my arm gently and pulls me away from his group of friends. "Wait, what are you doing?" I say shaking his grip loose. "I'm sorry. They're being so rude. I just thought you looked a bit lonely and would have more fun if you joined in with a group of us. I didn't think they'd act like that."

"It's ok." I say. "You can go back to them. I think I should head home now anyways. Thanks for thinking about me." I turn and head for the door, but he catches my hand. "Wait, Katniss don't go." He says. "I don't want to hang around with them anymore. Please, stay."

"I-"

"Would you like to dance?" He says. I sigh heavily. "Look Peeta, I'm not-"

"Okay, we don't have to dance. Want to come outside with me? I know a great place."

I try to read his expressions to figure out why he is suddenly so invested in me, when yesterday we'd never spoken. All I find in his big blue eyes is a glint of hope that not even I am heartless enough to put out.

"Alright then." I say.

"Are we allowed up there?" I ask, as Peeta leads me to a ladder that stands vertical against the back wall of the town hall.

"No, but when have you ever been one to follow the rules?" I guess he's talking about my hunting, but I didn't know he knew about that. As a matter of fact I didn't know anyone knew about that. He must have told Karlton, because I've never spoken of it at school. He said he thought I was 'The best hunter in town'. Has he seen me shoot? Or just seen my game load? Maybe he was just being nice, trying to make me sound better to his friends.

"Katniss? Katniss!" Peeta says, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Oh yeah, sorry. What did you say?"

"I said do you want to go first or should I?" My head tilts upward and I examine the long ladder that seems to lead to nothing but darkness.

"Um, maybe you should go first. You know what's up there."

"Suit yourself." He begins to climb and after he is four or five rungs ahead, I start after him. It's a bit tricky to climb in this dress. I'm trying hard not to ruin it as my mother would be devastated, and I manage by bunching the ends up in my hand. After a minute or so, I reach the top. I look around to see a rooftop, covered in hundreds of little fairy lights. They hang from the telephone wires overhead and twirl around the metal fences, illuminating the roof with a soft yellow/ sepia glow.

"Watch your step." Peeta says, but I'm too mesmerized by the beauty that I don't pay attention and step down onto nothing but air. The ladder finished on a ledge about three feet from the ground. My other foot catches on the ledge and I fall forwards, but Peeta catches me, holding me just inches above the ground. I wrap my arms around his neck to ensure my head doesn't smack into the floor. For a second our faces are so close. One slight movement and our noses would be touching. I don't know why but my heart starts beating faster and I hold my breath. I've never been this close to anyone before. But then, Peeta straightens us up, and lets me go.

"Sorry. I should have told you there was a ledge."

"No it's ok. I'm fine." I say, pushing the hair out of my face. Peeta gestures to the roof.

"So, what do you think? Pretty nice huh?"

"It's beautiful Peeta. How did you find out about this?" He walks further onto the roof and I follow.

"Hiding from Anjelika, I came up here. I kind of knew she was going to be a nightmare tonight, so I was going to escape to here at some point. I'm just glad you're here to keep me company." This make me blush and I try to hide it with a laugh. Peeta sits down on a bench that is also lined with pretty bulbs. "So. Katniss. I'm going to tell you something, and you can't judge me if it's a bit weird, ok?"

"Ok?" I say, curious. I sit down next to him on the bench and we sit facing each other, the moon setting in front of us.

"I know we haven't spoken much. But I feel like I know you. I mean, not just on a first name basis. I feel like I know you more personally. Which is only weird because we've never really spoken. Am I making no sense, or do you kinda get what I mean?"

I nod because I completely understand what he's talking about. For me, it's the fact that, one, I sell squirrels to his father, and two, he gave me that bread. I wonder if that's why he feels like he knows me. Should I bring it up? "I feel the same." I say, and in the silence that follows, go back to contemplating whether I should bring up that moment or not. I decide to mention it.

"Do you remember giving me the bread?"

"I've had a crush on your for a while." We both say at the same time.

"What?" We say in sync again.

"Wait, what did you say Peeta?" I say. He takes a big sigh and I can tell he's slightly nervous.

"Well, I just wanted to get it off of my chest. I've had a crush on your for while."

"Oh." Is all I can think of to say. This is so unexpected, I didn't detect any signs of him crushing on me. Maybe when he caught me a few minutes ago, but that's all. Is he serious, or joking?

"A few years ago, I heard you sing. And ever since then I haven't been able to forget about you." He's serious.

"Me, sing? I don't sing." I say.

"But you did. And it made a big impression on me." He says looking down at his hands, a bit embarrassed, I think. "Wow." Is all I manage to say, again. But he's good at this and fills in the blanks himself. "You said you remembered about the bread, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's why I gave it to you. I knew my mother would kill me for it, but I couldn't leave you like that, with nothing." He says. That makes sense. I always wondered why he risked his mothers wrath (and she could be scary) for me. Now I know.

"How come you never spoke to me at school though?" I say and he shuffles in his seat a bit.

"I don't know. You're not like other girls. I didn't feel confident enough to talk to you. But I thought that if you came to the party, which I'm so glad you did, I'd tell you. New years resolution and all." Now it all makes sense. Why he's suddenly taking interest in me. But apparently he's been interested all along, just too shy to show it. My eyes meet his, and for a moment, a look of angst registers on his face. But it's quickly replaced with a smile.

"Let's lighten the mood, shall we? Want to play truth?" He says.

"Um…ok."

"Cool, you go first." He says gesturing for me to ask.

"Ok. What's your favorite colour?" Is my question.

"That's a lame question." He replies.

"Sorry, you put me on the spot!"

"Okay, Okay. It's orange. Sunset orange." He answers. "Now my turn."

I really hope he doesn't ask anything that requires an embarrassing answer.

"How old were you the first time you kissed someone?" Shit. This is an embarrassing one. I'm not embarrassed that I haven't had my first kiss, it's just not something I want to talk about out loud.

"Well...I haven't yet...actually...so...I can't answer that one." I say looking down at my hands. He seems a little surprised.

"Really? No one? What about your boyfriend?"

"What? I don't have a boyfriend!"

"You don't?" He says, looking slighting confused. "I thought you did. That tall guy your always with."

Oh, he means Gale. "Oh, you mean Gale. No, he's just my best friend. More like a brother."

"Oh, ok. Good." Peeta says and a smile creeps on both of our faces.

"Your turn." He says.

"Hmm..." I try to think of a really good question. Something embarrassing for him.

"Did you kiss Anjelika Lawson?" Immediately he cringes where he sits, making me giggle. He's reluctant to answer, but he says, "Yeah, unfortunately. But she wasn't a very good kisser. Super slobbery."

I grimace. "Eugh, that sounds gross!"

"Oh it was. The tongue threatened to choke me." He says.

We play this little game of truth for God knows how long. We both loose track of time. I've found out that he loves painting and baking (I knew this one already) and he's casually dated three girls in our year. None of them I like very much. And he once sabotaged his partner in a wrestling match by giving them some mouldy bread, so his game was off and Peeta won. I've told him a few secrets. My favourite colour is green, (not a secret but a personal detail) the story of how I tried to drown Prim's cat, how I learned how to hunt and why I'm not into Gale in a romantic way. We're busy laughing about how Buttercup will never die, because cats have nine lives, when we hear chanting from below us. We both pause our conversation to listen.

"20...19...18...17...16...15...14...13...12...11...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Years!"

"Happy new year Peet-" I say, but am interrupted by a pair of lips crashing onto my own.


	3. Chapter 3

At first, hard and sudden but gradually softening into a smooth kiss. My first kiss. I guess I should have seen it coming, but I didn't. I never see these things coming. I guess it's a good thing, because I would over think it otherwise. Neither of us pulls away from the other. In fact, he pulls me closer, by grabbing my waist and scooting me closer to him on the bench, so our legs are slightly tangled. My hands find his strongly defined jaw and cheeks and rest there. With every kiss it becomes deeper and deeper. What started off as a closed mouth peck has turned into a full on snog. I always thought kissing with tongues would be gross, but it's not. His tongue is so smooth against mine and he tastes of the fruit punch that was at the party. In a weird way it's kind of like we're eating each other...but I like it. I really like it. I feel a sensation in my lower abdomen, a sort of tingling, with an urge for more. I guess Peeta has the same feeling because he grabs my bum and pulls me up onto his lap. We break away with a loud smacking and his lips find my neck. He kisses and sucks, leaving wet patches that the cool air hits. His hands are still squeezing my bum, pulling my centre against his crotch. That's when I feel the bulge between his legs. I know this happens naturally, but I'm not used to anything sexual. So it makes me slightly nervous.

"Peeta," I say lifting his head so he'll look at me.

"What's wrong?" He says panting slightly. I notice I'm panting too.

"I-I've never done anything, like that before...and I just...I kind of want to-"

"Take it slow. I know, I'm sorry...I just got...carried away." He says with a sigh.

"No, it's ok. I felt the same."

"So, was that okay?"

I look at him quizzically. "What do you mean?

"I mean, your first kiss. Was it okay?"

Okay? I don't see how it could have been any better.

"It was perfect." I say and lean down to give him one last lingering kiss. After we part, his hand moves to my face and he holds me there. We're just staring into each other's eyes for a moment. His are so blue I wonder if he's wearing contact lenses or not. But I know he isn't. I've seen these eyes before. The dim lighting of the rooftop reflects off his long, long eyelashes and casts shadows down his cheeks, making his cheekbones even more prominent. I trace the line of his jaw with my eyes. It's so sharp I feel I'll slice my finger if I touch it. And his pink lips are still slightly puckered and parted, as he regains his breath. After a while, he looks down.

"We should get going then. Everyone will wonder where we are."

"Yeah," I say, dreading leaving our perfect little cloud for the crowded room of people I can't stand. "I guess we should go." I get off of his lap and lend him my hand to help him to his feet. We walk in silence for a bit. I feel bad that I killed the mood, and what makes it worse is the fact that we have to go back to his group of stupid annoying friends. And Anjelikas surely going to to be up in arms that the two of us snuck off together for so long. Normally I would ignore it, but I can't if I'm with Peeta. And anyways, my stomach is still stirring with that tingling feeling. Everywhere, even my crotch, is buzzing from that kiss. I won't be able to concentrate if we go back down. I stop walking and watch Peeta ahead. He looks so good, even from behind. His shoulders are so broad and toned, and I wish they were wrapped around me. His blonde hair is more messy now that I've had my fingers through it. I just want him touching me again.

"Peeta, wait." I say. He's almost at the ladder. As he turns around, I run for him and jump into his arms. He rhythmically scoops me up and holds me close. I wrap my legs around his waist and we kiss again. I couldn't resist giving into these urges, they're too strong. My hands are tangled in his hair and I pull it slightly. He walks over to a wall and slams my back into it. Each kiss sends a stronger urge down my spine and our kissing becomes more aggressive. His fingers dig into my thighs and pull me down onto his erection. But now, with this bizarre new sexual angst I'm feeling, I don't mind. In fact I start to grind into it a little when I feel a bit of wetness down there. I know men get erections and girls get wet. But I didn't know how much it made you need satisfaction. Between the wall and his left hand, Peeta can afford to have his right free. It finds its way to my chest, where it hovers for a moment.

"Do you mind if I..." He says. "Do it." I interrupt and go back to kissing him. I don't know what's happening to me, I feel so hot and raw. His hands quickly pull the dress down, exposing my bra, which he unhooks with his other hand and slips off in one smooth motion. He then starts touching my breasts. It doesn't feel particularly good or bad, but it does make me hotter, the fact that his big veiny hands are all over me. He starts massaging them slightly and as he does, he lowers my legs so I'm standing. His lips then leave my mouth and he starts to kiss my breasts, and my nipples which feels slightly weird. The friction from grinding on Peeta's erection is now gone, and I find myself pushing my thighs together to make up for it. It think he notices because after a while he runs his hand down my body and under the skirt. He cups my crotch , which causes a whimpering sound to escape my lips. It was a reflex and I feel a bit embarrassed by it because up until now, I haven't made any involuntary noises. But it only seems to make Peeta pleased. "I know you wanted to take it slow, but I really want this. And I want to make you feel good." He says, looking me straight in the eye. How can I stop now? I'm way too horny. And so is he. So we can't stop. "I want you to make me feel good." I whisper, in the best sexy voice I can manage, into his ear. This makes him bite his lip, which makes me melt inside. And then he starts to move his hand and I think I do. At first, it stays outside of my underwear, rubbing gently but then, after more kissing, he slides his hand inside and the feeling just gets better. He makes little circles with his finger around one part of my vagina, which makes me flinch slightly as it sends weird but pleasurable waves through me. After that, he starts to slide a finger inside and it makes me wince. I feel a sort of ripping sensation, followed by a little sting of pain.

"Sorry." He says, "I should have warned you it might hurt a little."

"That wasn't too bad. I've got a pretty high pain threshold." I say.

"Oh really?" He says and slides another finger in, making me wince again.

"How was that...wait." He pulls the fingers out and holds them in front of us. There's a bit of blood on the tips of them.

"Are you on your period?" He says.

"No, two weeks ago I had it."

"Ok, good. Because I was going to say if it was, that's pretty gross.

"Oh, shut up." I say and keep him quiet with more kissing. His fingers start to move. Slowly at first, but as a few minutes pass the pace increases. And as it increases I find my breath quickening and a tension inside me building. He pushes them even deeper into me which, again hurts to begin with but doesn't take too long adjusting to. When his fingers move deliberately slow I squeeze my eyes shut and pull his hair, hard because the tension in me is so high I feel like I'm going to pop. And then I do, and it's as if my body has released all the build up Peeta created. It's an amazing sensation, and it feels so good. There's a rhythmic contracting between my legs as well, and as that slows down all of that...stuff...building up inside me goes. I open my eyes and am greeted by a crooked grin on Peeta's face. It says 'your welcome.' I realise I'm panting quite a bit, and try to steady my breaking.

"That was an experience." I say to Peeta.

"Hopefully one you enjoyed?" He replies, and I smile wide in answer. But I feel bad, that he didn't feel anything pleasurable from that.

"What about you?" I say.

"Um, well, you could give me a hand job if you want. But I don't want you to be weirded out. To be honest, just seeing you come was almost enough for me." He says. I look at his bulge, poking me in the leg, and it's so prominent I know he hasn't come. Will I be too weirded out to touch it if I see it? There's only one way to find out.

"No, I want to. I can't leave you like that." I say.

"Are you sure?" He asks.

"Yeah. And I might as well, right? I've done everything else."

"Well, not everything else. We've still gotta do oral and sex and maybe-"

"Haha you know what I mean!" I say.

"I'm just messing with you. Okay, ready?" He says.

"Are YOU ready?" I reply, making him laugh.

He then unzips his trousers and takes my hand, leading it to his penis. He puts my hand inside his boxers and I feel a soft yet hard long thing. I don't really know what to do, but Peeta repositions us by putting his hand on the wall behind us for support, and guiding my hand up and down his penis. I get the gist of what I have to do after a while and he uses the other hand to hold my face. It's weird, the feeling I get when I see the looks of pleasure register on his face. I guess that's how Peeta felt looking at me. Maybe more for him because he has a crush on me. But I think after tonight, I might have a little crush on him. We're so intensely close, that I can feel his ragged breath hitting my skin, warming my cheeks. His eyes shut for a minute in ecstasy. I pick up the pace, as he did, and because I want him to come. His other hand leaves my face and grabs my bum, pulling me against him. Now, my hand is moving upwards, and his penis is pressed in between us. He starts to kiss me, tenderly and in the same rhythm as I move my hand. I pick up the pace again, and his breathing had become even more laboured. I think it must not be long now for him to come, for me to know I've given him that great satisfying pleasure only sexual acts can, when we hear it. A loud crash just a few feet away from us. Both of us turn our heads towards the sound and our breathing ceases for a moment.

"What was that?" I loud whisper.

"I don't know?" Peeta says, and he moves slightly away from me, causing my hand to fall out of his pants. He zips them up and walks towards the sound, tentatively. I follow him, and his hand finds mine.

"Hello?" He calls in the general direction of the source of the noise.

"What do you think it was?" I ask him.

"I don't know," he says, "an animal, or something." I hope nothing dangerous. I instinctively reach behind me for an arrow, but feel very naked and unarmed when I realise I don't have any.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" I call, as if in response, all the hundreds of little fairy lights short out. We're left standing in the completed darkness. The moon is behind a cluster of black clouds, so only offers minimal illumination. We freeze, silent as I try to get over the mini heart I attack I just had.

"Let's go, now." Peeta says and he leads me, quietly, over to the ladder. He helps me down first and follows two rungs behind me. The whole way down, he looks over his shoulder to check if I'm ok. When we reach the bottom, we feel a little scared. "What time is it?" I say. He shrugs his shoulders. "No idea. It can't be that much later than midnight can it?" I think about this for a moment, trying to get my bearings on the time. "How long were we up there for?" He says again. "Anyway, now I really have to get home." I say.

"Oh yeah, miss I have to be home by 9." He says. I push him in a playful way.

"Hey! My mom will be worried." I say.

"Okay, don't worry. Well get you home. Shall we see if the carts are still running?" He says and takes my hand over to the cart stop. Luckily there is one parked right there. Although the driver is sleeping.

"Excuse me?" We both say to wake him. He wakes with a start and looks around, dazed but awake.

"Have you got 40pence each?" He says.

"40? I thought it was 20? That was the fare before." I say, knowing I've only got 20 stores in the bottom of my shoe.

"That's the early fare. But it's after 3am, so-"

"3am!" Both Peeta and I exclaim, shocked at the time.

"Yes...so 40pence each or you don't go no ride."

Peeta pulls out a small fabric pouch from his back pocket. "Don't worry Katniss, I've got it."

"No," I put my hand over the money to stop him, "you can't pay for me."

"Oh come on, it's the least I can do after I kept you out all night. Think of this as the 'sorry your mom killed you' gesture." This makes me laugh, so I let him pay, but in not too happy about it. I hate owing people.

The ride back to my house takes no more that 10 minutes, but the air is so cold that I have to huddle close to Peeta to stay warm. "Peeta?" I say. "What's up."

"Can you not tell your friends about this? I don't really want them knowing. For one they don't like me. -and two I don't want them knowing our business. Is that ok?" I ask. Because the last thing I want is those people at school knowing what happened, and ruining the special evening we just had.

"Oh yeah, I definitely won't. I don't want them knowing either."

"Thank you."

Halfway there, our faces are so close that we start kissing again. Not like we were on the roof, but more slowly, and deeply. His arms wrap protectively around me and I let my whole body relax, leaning into him. I pick up the faint scent of pine on him, and it makes me feel happy. Really happy.

The cart pulls to a stop and we pull apart. Peeta and I thank the driver and hop off. He walks me to my door. We stand on the rickety porch, that creaks with every little move we make, making sneaking in even more difficult.

"Thank you for making tonight so fun." He says.

"I had a great time." I say. "Are you sure you'll be alright getting home?"

"Don't worry about me. It's only a ten minute walk." He cups my face in his hand and gives me one last light kiss before he goes.

"I'll see you at school Monday, yeah?"

"Yeah. See you Monday, Peeta." I wave goodbye but he waits until I've gone inside and locked the door shut behind me before he walks away. Inside my house, my knees give way and I sit on the floor for a minute, recalling the evening. I feel a sort of high. I can't believe that actually happened! It's not like me to get giddy over a boy, but I feel like jumping for joy. I can't though, because I'll wake my mother and Prim. My hands find my lips and trace the outside and inside, remembering how his lips felt against mine, how his tongue tasted. I then retrace in my mind the way he touched my body. His rough hands bringing me to orgasm, something I never thought could feel so good. It even felt good to touch him and see the way he reacted.

 _Oh, Peeta Mellark._ I think. _Who knew you could make me feel so good?_


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning I wake up at about 8am I find my mother standing over me, her brows buried in a frown.

"Katniss. What the hell happened last night?" She says, pulling my duvet off of me and pulling me out of bed.

"Sorry mom...I just completely lost track of time." I say, trying to shake her iron grip on my wrist loose, unsuccessfully.

"Well Madge came looking here for you, at 2 in the morning!" Madge! I completely forgot about her. What I great friend I am.

"She thought you'd gone home early, but I thought she was with you. In the end, she lied to me to not get you in trouble. She told me that you stayed late to help clean up. I tried to stay up but I fell asleep on the kitchen table, waiting for you." She says, annoyed.

"I know and I am really sorry. But I was just having so much fun with everyone that I didn't want to leave." I say, staying clear of any mention of Peeta or the rooftop.

"Well I'm glad you had fun. But because you were well, well past your curfew, I'm going to have to say no hunting with Gale today." She says sternly. Little does she know , she's saving me a great deal of internal awkwardness. After my evening with Peeta, I don't really want to think about Gale. Selfish, I know, but what can I do?

"But mom..." I pretend to complain.

"No buts! You are in no place to complain to me." She yells.

Instead of hunting, my mother gives me a big long list of chores I have to complete. Luckily for me the first one is dropping off some ordered medicine to the Undersee's house. I'll drop off the medicine and speak to apologise to Madge about last night. I get dressed in black leggings and a large cream jumper, brush my teeth and wash some of the makeup off I fell asleep in, then grab an apple and a medicinal box and head out.

There was no snow last night, but this morning a thin layer has begun sprinkle the floor. It's soft and light, and falls from the grey sky in tiny specs.

I reach Madge's door and knock on it three times. Luckily, she answers. She's wearing a dark red woollen dress and tights.

"Katniss!" She exclaims and hugs me tightly. "I was SO worried! I thought something terrible happened to you."

I shake my head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I went. I couldn't find you in the crowd of people, and you seemed so happy with Wes. I didn't want to bother you."

"Don't be silly." She says, ushering me in.

I hand her the medicinal box.

"What's this?" She says shaking it to hear what's inside.

"My mom sent me on some errands. She said to deliver this to you. I can't stay long, I've got to go all over town to get the chores done." I say.

"Was she mad?" Madge asks.

I nod in response.

"Oh Katniss, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone over there at that time. I just wanted to check that you got home alright. But then you weren't there and-where did you go? "

I blush slightly. "I'm sorry, I went, up to the roof. I say. "Anyways, how was it with Wes? You two looked pretty intimate."

She shrugs. "It was nice. He's really funny. He kissed me at midnight, but everyone was kissing. He didn't really make another move after that. But you missed March Lea get off with Al Carter. It was disgusting." Her face contorts as she remembers.

"So, why did you go up to the roof? Did you go by yourself?"

I shake my head. "Turns out you were right about Peeta and Anjelika breaking up."

Her mouth gapes open in a large O shape. "You went with Peeta Mellark? Hot, blonde, blue eyed Peeta?"

"Yep."

"Oh my god!" She squeals, "did anything happen?"

I can't help it but a big smile creeps into my face and I can't stop it from expanding. "A lot."

Madge covers her mouth with her hand, about to burst at the seams with curiosity. "Tell me, tell me, tell me everything!"

So I tell her how he was confessed about having a crush on me, leaving out the part about the bread because for some reason, I feel like that's a moment I want to stay between Peeta and I. I then talk about the kiss at midnight and how I got scared, but how my hormones overpowered my feelings. Then I get to the part about the heavy petting and she has so many questions.

"Did it hurt? Was it gross? How long did it last? We're his hands clean? Did it feel good?"

I try to sum it up without going into too much detail. "It hurt a little, but then it just felt good. Really, really good."

"Oh my god Katniss. You let Peeta Mellark finger you. Do you feel any different? " She says.

"Not really, just...more...I don't know." At that, someone calls down from upstairs.

"Madge sweetheart, breakfast is ready!"

"Coming!" She yells back.

I pick up the shoulder bag of items I have to deliver, sell etc. "I guess I should get going."

"Okay, I need some time to take all of that information in!" She says opening the door for me.

"Haha, me too." I step down onto the ground, and my feet are greeted with an extra layer of snow.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school?" I say.

"See you tomorrow, slut." She says with a laugh, and waves me off.

The rest of the day is very long. I go from store to store, buying herbs and medicine and selling some as well. I think I've bartered with 15 people by the time the bag is empty. On my way back to the seam, I decide to pass the bakery. As I approach it, I decide not to go in, but observe from a far. Staying perched behind a large oak tree, I watch the Mellark's at work. His mother is there kneading, or punching, some bread so hard that I actually feel sorry for it. One of his older brothers tries to help her, but she pushes him away aggressively. Then I see him. Peeta, looking slightly flushed as he carries two large sacks of flour over his shoulder. He's so gorgeous. Seeing him fills my stomach with hundreds of butterflies.

He walks past his mother and accidentally knocks her head with one of the bags of flour. He apologies to her, but she's mad. She stops what she's doing and shoves him. He looses his footing slightly and she shoves him again, causing him to drop the sacks of flour. He yells something at her, which only seems to make her angrier. She slaps him hard around the face and pushes him again. He trips over the flour and falls backwards onto the oven. A little shriek escapes my lips as I see him scrambling to get up, his hands must be scolding and blistering now for he looks at them wincing, and walks away from him mother, out of view. She goes back to kneading her bread as if nothing happened, as if she hasn't just pushed her son into a pit of burning hot coal and flames. I turn away from the bakery, slightly disturbed by what I just saw. Poor Peeta and his brothers. They have to deal with such a witch for a mother. I head back to the seam, thinking even though my mother isn't perfect, I'm lucky to have her.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm more nervous then I should be come Monday morning. Prim and I walk to school through the snow, now a thick, ever growing coat on the ground. Of course I didn't tell her about what happened, so I have to hide my nerves. I'm good at hiding things anyways. I walk her to the entrance of her class room. "Ok Prim, I'll come get you at the end of the day. Wait just outside the gate for me." I say, kissing her on the head.

"Alright. See you later Katniss!" She says, giving me a quick squeeze, and runs off to her class. I cross over the building to my school and walk through the front door. As I walk down the hall, I see lots of familiar faces standing by their lockers, waiting for the bell to ring that signifies the start of the school day. Some I notice from the party, and remember what they wore. There's a girl sitting by the rusty broken water fountain that I recognize. She wore a short blue dress with a large cream ribbon around her waist. I think I remember it because the ribbon was stained and ripped. She looks at me now, maybe because she notices I'm staring, and smirks at me. I ignore her and carry on walking to my classroom. But as I make my way, I notice people are looking at me. Some smile in a smug or smirky way and others outright laugh. It's very odd. After a while, I avoid looking at anyone and just stare down at my shoes as I walk. How come people are staring? Is there something on on my face? I wipe my hand over to make sure there isn't. I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it. I hear someone say 'There she is!' I glance up for a second to see someone I've never spoken to before, following me down the hall. 'Who knew you were such a slag, little miss grumpy?' I ignore his comments and walk faster down the hall. People keep laughing at me and shouting things. I don't look up and pretend their all in my imagination. I'm almost at the end of the hall when I bump into someone. I look up and see Madge. Thank god.

"Katniss, are you alright?" She says, touching my arm.

"I guess so. Why is everybody staring and laughing at me?" I say. Madge's face drops, and a look of pity and dread registers.

"You haven't seen?"

"Seen what? What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Madge reaches into her bag and I see a big pile of paper. She takes one out, folded and hands it to me.

"I've been going round collecting them all. Someone stuck these on the walls all over the school." She says as I unfold the piece of paper, not knowing what to expect. What I see makes my head spin slightly. It's a black and white photo of me, from yesterday, shirtless. No bra, nothing, breasts in full view. My head is tilted back and my mouth is wide open, as if I'm mid orgasm. I probably was. I can't seem to stop looking at the photo, from pure shock, so I scrunch it up in my hand, that's now balled into a tight fist, so I don't have to see it anymore. "Who took this?" I say.

"I don't know…I"

"Peeta and I were the only people up there that night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I say and my blood begins to boil. Peeta must have told one of his sadistic friends what he was planning on doing to me. They must have lurked in the shadows on the rooftop and waited until the perfect moment to snap that photo. I told him not to tell anyone. I push my way past Madge and storm down the hallway. People wave the photos Madge didn't manage to collect in my face. I'm too angry to care. But when a guy steps in front of me, pulls down the neck of my jumper and says ''Let's see what you're hiding under there'. I grab his arm, twist it behind his shoulder and slam him into the lockers. I don't wait for his retaliation and stalk away. I burst through the doors to the canteen and scan the room. There's a large group of about 12 people sitting at, on and around a table. I storm in their direction, pushing anyone in my way away from me. As I approach, some from the group turn to look at me, revealing Peeta, sitting right in the center. I shove those that block my way from him and slam my fists on the table where he sits. He reflexively stands up, so I lean over the table and shove him in the chest, the way his mother shoved him yesterday.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" I exclaim.

"Can we talk somewhere private?" He has the audacity to ask.

"No. We're doing it here. In front of all your friends." I yell. He turns to walk in the opposite direction which makes me even angrier. I walk across the table and grab him, spinning him around so he's facing me again.

"Don't you dare walk away from me."

"Katniss, come outside for a sec-" He says, grabbing my wrist, but I pull my arm away.

"How could you do that to me? I told you not to tell anyone, and you went behind my back and lied to me and humiliated me."

"Katniss, I didn't-"  
"Then who took that photo Peeta? Who?"

He looks at me for a long moment and he looks sad, and guilty.

"I'm sorry, but I-" I don't let him finish. I slap him hard around the face. People gasp and whoop and laugh as I walk away, going out the same direction I came in. On my way back to the classroom, I feel so flushed with pure rage that I start to run, whipping past the people pointing and mocking me. I miss the classroom, and just carry on running. My anger turned to adrenaline is causing tears to prick my eyes. I instinctively cover my mouth with my hand as I burst through the front doors of the school and run round the side of the building. I don't stop until I'm by the back of the school. All of the anger I felt earlier suddenly seeps out of me, and I slump to the floor. Then the crying starts. It's almost hysterical. I feel so stupid. That night I had with Peeta felt so special to me, and now it's ruined. Everyone at school knows about it, and not to mention knows what I look like topless. The embarrassment I can handle. It may be the most embarrassing that has happened to me, but I'm not one to care what others think. What's making me so upset is the fact that it was Peeta who broke my trust. After he opened up to me and I opened up to him, he completely stabbed me in the back. The first time I let myself go with somebody that I thought I could trust turned out to be nothing more than him just wanting a fling. A chance to get into the grumpy, frigid innocent girls pants, so he could brag to his friends that he did the unthinkable. Did he make everything up? All of the stuff about him listening to me sing and giving me the bread because he had a crush on me? It seemed so genuine. And then, how could I forget the way he made me feel? Just closing my eyes brings back the memories of his hands on me, in me. The way he looked at me when we were pressed against that wall, so close I could feel his rapid heart-beat through his shirt. Then, that loud noise we heard, followed by the electricity cut was one of friends invading my privacy. And the fact that he didn't make any attempt to try and stop it, or even comfort me sort of confirms that he's at fault . Ignoring me like I was some crazy girl he didn't know. Just like before. I truly don't know what to do, but I'm too frustrated and emotional to sleuth this one out right now. Instead, I make patterns with my fingers in the snow. It's soft and wet and makes my fingers slightly damp. In front of me, a few meters behind the school is the woods. A vast space of leafless trees and icy rocks. My favourite place in the world to be. I look out at the woods and a longing to be zig zagging through the trees, with Gale at my side, hits me. All I want is a little bit of normality. The past three days have been so unlike myself, I just want to get back to me. Suddenly I hear a voice calling in the near distance. "Katniss? Katniss?" I jerk my head from side to side and try to figure out which way it's coming from and who's voice it is. "Katniss, are you out here?" It's coming from the left. I scramble to my feet and see my knees and right thigh are soak through from the snow. "Katniss?" The voice belongs to a male and my best guesses would be either Gale or Peeta. I think the latter is more likely. "Katniss!" The voice is closer now, so I silently creep over the snow. With my back against the wall, I sneak along the back of the school. "Katniss?" The voice is echoing through the trees, so I start to run. When I reach the corner of the building, I whip around it and scream when I bump into someone. Of course, I'm not at all surprised to see Peeta, flushed and panting in front of me. What I am surprised about is the fact that I was going in the completely wrong direction. I guess I'm so out of sorts that my ears played a trick on me.

"Move." I say, and try to push past Peeta, but he grabs my arms and holds me in place.

"Katniss, listen to me."

"Just leave me alone Peeta!" I yell in his face. The tears start to bubble at the back of my ducts. And I think he notices because his grip and face softens.

"I promise you, I had nothing to do with that photo. Okay? I swear on my life." He drops his hands to his sides and I stay still.

"How am I supposed to believe you?"

"You just...have to trust me."

"Well I don't. No one else knew we were up there, and I don't have many friends to tell, so it only makes sense that it was you."

"Anjelika sent on of her minions up there after us. That's why we heard that loud crashing, and the electricity cut out. They had to get away."

"How do you know that?" I say, not ready to trust him just quite yet.

"I heard Kartlon and Jo talking about it in the boys toilets. They shut up when they saw me, but I can be…uh…" I gasp as he holds up his fist in front of me, and aside from his hands that are already bandaged up from the burns, his knuckles are bruised and bloody. "…I can be pretty persuasive."

"Oh no. What did you do?" I say tentatively reaching out and brushing my fingers over his injuries.

"I made Jo tell me everything. He said Anjelika made him follow us, and then he snuck up later with the camera that was meant to be used for the schools photos. After he got that photo he tripped over some electrical box, and unplugged it so he could get away without us seeing."

I take in all of this new information, and it makes sense. Anjelika is so deranged and mean that she would never want her ex to be with anyone else. Especially someone that challenges and won't tolerate her, like me. I actually believe him.

"I would never do something like that. Especially to you, who I can't stand to see hurt." He says. I look up into his big blue eyes and for a second, I feel lost in them. When I look into them, it's as if they swallow me up into this world where time stands still and everything is beautiful.

"I would never hurt you." He says, and slowly his bruised and bandaged hand comes up to hold my face and I hold it there. He pulls me closer to him, until our noses are almost touching. I can't help it, all of the overwhelming emotions are building up inside me and a tear slips down my cheek. Peeta kisses it, and then licks the salty water on his lips. And then he kisses me, and I let him. Because I can't fight these feelings and I want him so bad. The kisses are so tender and fuelled by such a mixture of emotions that I loose myself in them, again. I wrap my arms around his neck as his hands move to my waist. He then repositions himself so he has the wall to lean his back against. We stay like this for a few minutes, and then the school bell rings. When we pull apart, I bury my face in the crook of his neck. It's so warm, and smells of must and firewood, that I don't want to move. "We should get back to class." He says. "I know." I say, but it's muffled by his skin. I lift my head and am back to breathing cool crisp air that hurts my nose. "Let's go." I say, and we walk back around to the front of the school.

As we reach the front doors, he offers me his hand.

"I want everyone to know that they can't mess with you, without going through me first." He says. I place my hand in his and wrap my fingers around him.

"Thank you. That makes me feel so much better." I say making him smile. His smile is so sweet yet sexy that it's infectious. It makes my heart melt and my face glow with happiness. Who knew the boy with the bread could make me feel this way? It's been an emotional roller-coaster with him already and it's only been three days. I can't imagine what it'll be a like in the future. But I'm excited to find out.

"Together?" He says, as he opens the front doors.

"Together." I reply, and we walk in down the hallway, hands linked tightly together as one.


End file.
